Migrate Existing Websites to Yarsa Host
Migrating a website to a different host can be tricky sometimes. If your website contains static HTML pages, you can download the contents of your website from your existing host and upload it to Yarsa Host. If your website is built using content management systems like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla, simply copying the files might not be enough. If you are a hobbyist with many different projects scattered across your host, it can be challenging to migrate to another web host. However, your current website is, this guide will help you migrate your existing website to Yarsa Host.
Things to Know
- Migrating to a different web host can take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours because of the processes. Most of it is due to the long processing time to update your name servers in the Dot NP domain registry.
- This is a multi-step process and can get confusing. Here are some tips to make this whole process a lot safer and simple.
- First thing first. Create a backup of your existing website on your existing web host. Also, download it to your computer if you can. Do NOT change the DNS records or name servers without downloading everything you need from your existing web host. After the DNS change happens, your website may no longer be pointing to your current web host, and you may lose visitors.
- Import your website files, database and email accounts to Yarsa Host before changing the DNS records. When the name server change is pending at the Dot NP registry, change the DNS records on your existing name servers to point your website to Yarsa Host.
- By simply changing the DNS records, your domain will start pointing to Yarsa Host within minutes, and you can check if everything is working properly. You can also generate a free SSL certificate for your website after changing the DNS records.
- Do NOT request for SSL certificate if your website is not already pointing to Yarsa Host. If you request an SSL Certificate without first pointing your domain to Yarsa Host, your domain will be blocked from getting an SSL certificate for up to a week, and your website will remain insecure during the time.
- During the migration, your old website may still be accessible to some of your visitors. You may lose a day or two of data during the transition period. Some of your visitors might still connect to your old web host until the DNS propagation is finished across the globe.
Before You Start
Before migrating your website to Yarsa Host, you must apply for a web hosting account from Yarsa Host. To migrate your website, you first need to download the following content from your current web host.
Website Files
Almost all websites have HTML, JavaScript and CSS files stored in the web host. Many websites have photos, videos, icons, text documents, and other files needed on the website. First of all, you should create an archive (.zip) of all such files in your web directory. Most web hosts allow you to create a ZIP archive from their web-based file management system. Alternatively, you can use an FTP client software like Filezilla to copy the files from your web host directly to your computer. Either way, you should copy all the files stored on the WebRoot folder of your account on your web host. In most cases, the WebRoot folder is one of the following folders.
-
/home/your_username/htdocs
-
/home/your_username/httpdocs
-
/home/your_username/public_html
-
/home/your_username/html
If you don't see any such folders, you should ask the web host where the website files are and how to download a copy of your files. Remember, your website may contain custom scripts, old backups and other essential files. If someone else had set up your website for you, please ask them to help you with migration.
Databases
Most dynamic websites like blogs, online shops, galleries, portfolios, news or websites of organizations store their content in a database. To migrate a website, you must also migrate the content of the database to Yarsa Host. Migrating a database can be tricky, but here is a step-by-step guide to help you with that.
- Log in to your web hosting panel.
- Look for the list of databases and database users.
- Make a list of existing databases and database users. Also, note which users have access to each database.
- Access the database administration panel, such as PHPMyAdmin, or Adminer.
- Export the database related to your website, and download the exported file.
- On the dashboard of Yarsa Host, create new databases with the same name as you listed in step 3.
- Add new database users, note their passwords, and grant permissions to required databases.
- If you set a new username or password for database users, change them in your website's configuration files.
- Test if your website can connect to the new database.
If this looks like something that you cannot do, don't worry. We will help you with this too without charging a fee.
Email Accounts
If you are using the email service of your current web host, you should make a note of all the email accounts that are in use and their passwords. You cannot simply download emails and attachments and upload them to a new web host. What you can do is, however, create new email accounts on your Yarsa Host dashboard and set the same passwords for the email accounts. While new emails will arrive at Yarsa Host, some mail servers may still cache your old DNS records and try to deliver emails to your previous web host. To avoid this situation, you should remove your domain from the previous web host or close your hosting account with them so the emails will be rejected.
Also, remember to update your email settings on your website's configuration files or admin panel if you previously configured your website to send emails.
Scheduled Tasks
Your website might have some scheduled tasks, also known as Cron Jobs, that perform scheduled operations such as cleaning up databases, sending emails, or other background tasks. You should check for such tasks and re-create them on your Yarsa Host dashboard. Also, test that such background tasks will work reliably.
Migrate a Static Website
Migrate a WordPress Website
Migrate a Joomla / Drupal Website
Migrate an E-commerce Website
Migrate a Custom CMS Website
Automatic Deploy from Git Repository
If you could not do it yourself, we can help you migrate your existing website to Yarsa Host. Please send us a request, and share with us the problems you ran into. Be as specific as possible, and share screenshots so we can help you better. Thank you for choosing Yarsa Host.